Fuse assembling machine



July 6, 1943.

M. C. RICCIARDI FUSE Ass'EMBnING MACHINE Filed July 23, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 1 mv Y* n r mw m a u QN. MN U mv S bN d i l. M. m Q 5N MN Q,Q\

NQ ma INVENT'OR v Mucl-LEW [1R '1: :iur di Mw/LVZ ATTO July 6, 1943. M.c. RICCIARDI FUSE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Juiy 2s, i941 2 Sheets-Sheet2 afan I lNvENToR `Muhew C. Hi c :nrdi

Patented July 6, 1943 FUSE AssEMBLING MACHINE Matthew o. Ricciardi,Dover, N. J.

Application July 23, 1941, Serial No. 403,772

(ci. (s4-3o) (Granted under `the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 1 Claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by r for theGovernment for governmental purposes, wi-thout the payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

. This invention relates to an assembly device and more particularly toa device for assembling a pair of threaded articles.

An object of this invention is to provide a semi-automatic machine forassembling externally threaded objects to internally threaded membersrapidly, safely and with a minimum of physical eort.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a central vertical section of the device onthe line I I ofFig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View showing a portion of the work support,the work slide and tool guide,

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 showing details ofthe slide feature,

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 illustrating additionalslide details,

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the work support,

6 is a sectional View on the line 6 6 of Fig. l with a portion brokenaway to show certain details,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 'I l of Fig. 6 delineatingdetails of construction of the friction or slip clutch, and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the friction rings in the slip clutch.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, a geared motor Iand a support 2 are rmly mounted on a base 3. The drive shaft 4 of themotor I carries an adjustable friction or slip clutch 5 which supportsin its driven end '6 a tool l. The tool 'I is journalled in a bearing 8in a tubular work holder 9 which is adapted for reciprocation in thesupport 2.

In alignment with the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 4 of the motorI is a hollow cylindrical cradle I0 on the upper end of the support 2.The cradle I carries the sliding work holder 9. Holder 9 is adapted toreciprocate in cradle I0 but is prevented from rotating by a pair ofkeys II in suitable aligned channels I2 in the holder and cradle, seeFigs. i, 2 and 5. Each key II has enlarged ends il' which engage thecorresponding ends of cradle i9. The enlarged ends II' prevent the keysI I from sliding out of the channels I2 when the holder 9 reciprocatesin its cradle.

Holder 9 has a passage or cavity I3 which has tted therein the bearingsleeve 8 for the tool I. The outer end I4 of the cavity I3 is of reduceddiameter and is shaped to receive an article or work piece I5, see Figs.1 and 4. The mouth of passage I4 is flared as at I6 to facilitateinsertion of the work piece I5. The front end of the Work holder 9 has acircular flange portion II that contains two threaded apertures I8 whichretain threaded pins I9 as shown in Fig. 3. A pair of spaced segmentalplates 2i! are fastened to the circular flange I'I by set screws 2I, seeFigs. 2 and 4. This produces a slot 22 which is adapted to engage thenose 23 of a second work piece 24 to secure it from rotation, see Figs.1 and 3.

The cradlev I0 has a pair of spaced horizontal bores 25 which parallelthe axis of passage I3. The pins I9 on the work carrier 9 ride in thesebores. Compression springs 26 rest in the bores 25 with their endsbearing against the' pins I9 and threaded adjusting screws 21 as shownin Fig. 3. The springs 2B urge the sliding Work carrier 9 to the leftfor a purpose which is to be mentioned.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a preferred method of limiting the reciprocatingmovement of the work slide 9. A notch 2'I is provided in the peripheryof slide 9. A stop pin 28 in the cradle I0 projects into the notch 21and limits the movement of the slide 9 to the length of the notch.

The driving end or head 29 of slip clutch 5 is fastened to drive shaft 4by screws 30 or `any sui-table fasteners. The head 29 is a hollowcylindrical block with an internally threaded skirt 3| Seated within theskirt 3I is a bre or leather friction rin-g 32 having a pairof holes 33which receive the ends of pins 34 press tted into bores 35 in the head29, see Figs. 7 and 8. The pins 34 negative rotation of the ring 32relative to head 29. The driven' end 6 of the clutch 5 is a sleevehaving a flange portion 36 which forms one of the clutch plates orfaces. A friction ring 31 ts on sleeve 6 against the ange 36 and withinthe skirt 3|. A hollow nut 38 is threaded into skirt 3| and bearsagainst one face of the friction ring 3'I. The driven member B of theclutch 5 is adapted to rotate within the skirt 3l and the bore 39 of thehollow nut 3B. The tool is secured in sleeve E by a pin 49.

The clutch 5 may be regulated to deliver predetermined torques beforeslip occurs between the driving and driven elements by regulating 42 inthe driving head 29. The outer portions of passages 42 are conditionedto engage threaded adjusting screws 43. The inner ends of these passagesreceive pressure pads 44 which engage a portion of one face of thefriction ring 32. The

loading springs 4I are positioned between the pads 44 and the adjustingscrews 43. Advancement of screws 43 toward the pads 44 increases thepressure applied to the flange 36 of the driven member 6 throughfriction ring 32 and thereby increases the torque required to make f thedevice. The tool 'I illustrated is a screw w driver bit and is rotatedat a suitable speed by the drive shaft 4. Bit 'I has no rectilinearmovement. When the operator presses to the right on the work piece 24,the work holder 9 slides in that direction in its cylindrical cradle I0.

Plungers I9 on the holder 9 advance into the bores 25 against theresistance of compression springs 26. The work piece I5 is presented tothe bit I which engages the kerf in that work piece and proceeds todrive it into the internally threaded body 24. Further movement of thework piece 24 and holder 9 to the right brings the holder almost againstthe stop pin 28 where the two components are tightened. Rotation of thework piece I5 and the bit ceases when the t.

parts are properly tightened although the driving head 29 of the clutch5 continues to rotate Y with the continuously rotating motor I. Slipoccurs in the clutch 5 between the driven tool carrying member Ii andthe driving head 29 at L the predetermined maximum torque. The operatorreleases his pressure on the work piece 24 Cil and the springs 2B returnthe work slide to its original position as shown in Fig. 1. Theassembled unit is removed from the holder 9 and the operation isrepeated with new components. The clutch 5 will slip when an attempt ismade to assemble articles having non-conforming threads thus preventinginjury to the respective articles.

This assembling device is designed to allow considerable flexibility.The clutch 5 is adjustable over a Wide range of torque settings.' It isalso quickly detachable from the shaft 4 to permit the employment ofdifferent size chucks as the nature of the work requires. The driven end6 will accommodate tools of different sizes and congurations and asimple pin lock 40 facilitates their use or removal.

Cradle Ill is adapted to receive work holders of various shapes. Removalofthe keys II permits the insertion of a holder which is shaped toconform to the type of work pieces being assembled.

I claim:

In a machine of the character described, including a power driven,rotatable shaft, a clutch fixed to said shaft comprising a body having aplurality of axial bores internally threaded at their outer ends and aforward extension, a friction ring in said extension, a slidable disk ineach bore bearing against said ring, a spring in each bore bearingagainst the disks, an adjusting screw in each bore in engagement withthe springs to regulate their tension, a tool holding member in saidbody and formed with a ange abutting said friction ring, a secondfriction ring spaced from the first by said flange, and a nut threadedon the front of said body in engagement with the second friction ring,the springs, friction rings and nut cooperating with the tool holdingmember to maintain it in frictional relation to the power driven shaft.

MATTHEW C. RICCIARDI,

